BPI threatens to sue German Pirate Party members not to eliminate its proxy Pirate Bay

Internet providers in the UK are required by law to block The Pirate Bay. This means that to access the site must be done through alternative URLs, proxies that replicate the site in different places. One such proxy is maintained by the Spanish Pirate Party, which despite the insistence of the industry, has refused to remove access to the site.

Now, the group representing the music industry BPI threatened to take legal action against six members of the party, making these people accountable individually for Copyright infringements that may occur through the proxy. A lawsuit like this could bankrupt a citizen, that jeopardizes the property and homes of these people.

The BPI said that should submit individual actions as the Pirate Party is not a legal entity, and therefore can not be sued otherwise. The organization ensures that have attempted to solve this problem peacefully for several weeks – the proxy requesting the closure – but that has not worked.

The proxy maintained by the Pirate Party is one of the most visited after blocking The Pirate Bay in England, though not the only one. These alternative sites have been a headache for the music industry, which invested heavily in a long trial to achieve blocking by ISPs.

The Pirate Party argues that block sites is “disproportionate and ineffective” in fighting copyright. To address the situation, raised a donation campaign funds , they will use to defend himself at trial next.